Hello friends,
Alex and I recently came back from an almost forgotten activity in the time of COVID: travel!
That's right, we boarded a plane, and I only had my possessions seized by the TSA once! (Apparently they don't like knives on board a plane, psh, whatever). And we went ahead and got infected with the coronavirus two weeks before the trip, so we couldn't get sick from traveling. That's how that works, right? ...Right?
For real though, we did wear masks as much as we could in the airports and on board and had been feeling much better for a while after being sick; we are responsible little citizens of the world!
And lil' miss Hazel got to spend a week with one of her favorite friends: my sister! Yay!
So now that we're back, I'd bet you'd like to hear what it was like in sunny California, huh?
Well, on day one it was rainy and cold. See proof: cold Alex and her spirit animals.
These pictures were taken on the Santa Cruz wharf, where we were buffeted by Pacific winds (which seem to invariably be strong and cold) and surrounded by the barking honks of sea lions. Turns out they like to hang out under our feet:
While I don't have a high-quality picture, we did also have the incredible pleasure of seeing a sea otter! I have long dreamed of seeing an otter in the wild, whether it was of the river variety when we traveled through the Smokies or their ocean brethren the last time we were in the Monterey Bay. I had forgotten that the possibility was even there, when bam! Day one sea otter, flipping around in the water for no discernable reason and crunching on some sort of shelled creature. That's one bucket list item crossed off.
The weather improved as the week went on, however, and we were able to get some beach combing in. Notable finds: a dead sea star, a vertebra (?), and a GIANT tree trunk washed in from the San Lorenzo River (with me climbing it for scale, if you can find me).
Alex seemed just as interested in watching me beach comb as she was in beach combing herself. I didn't even know this picture existed until later.
Come to think of it, Alex took a lot of pictures of me looking at stuff... On the wharf (though I caught her that time)...
...On the bluffs at Wilder Ranch State Park...
...And in the redwood forest at Pogonip (did I mention that the trees in California are thicccccc?)
It's like she has a crush on me or something. Though after we were done combing the beach, I guess I did ask her to take a pic with me:
I guess it's mutual.
As I mentioned earlier, we also visited Wilder Ranch State Park. It was just outside of Santa Cruz, so we were lucky enough to be able to borrow Alex's brother's car to drive there and hike along the coast, where we saw a lizard basking on some old train tracks.
The views from the cliffs were incredible. I felt like I was on the set for a movie about an English maiden who pines for something or the other while staring at this:
On the warmest day of the trip (where we still needed long sleeves, but I didn't need another layer or two over that), we walked out to a place called Pogonip. Just Pogonip. Not Pogonip Park or Pogonip Nature Reserve, or anything suggesting that this giant tract of meadow, stream, forest, and old limestone kilns was owned or managed by anyone. It simply is. Pogonip.
Pogonip was about a forty minute walk through some gorgeous suburbs (people don't seem to buy into the lawn concept in CA; it's a sustainable landscaper's dream). I didn't take any pictures of people's houses or lovely yards populated with flowers and cacti, but I enjoyed the walk there almost as much as the hike itself.
What I do have pictures of is Alex doing her best to pose for a shot in the redwoods (I believe I directed her to "look enchanted" or something along those lines):
A+ for effort and charm, Alex. I don't know if you'll be getting any Oscars for your performance, though.
I also have Alex looking into a koi pond that was just... there. No explanation. There was just a part of the otherwise natural stream that was dammed and had big golden fish in it. Kind of like Pogonip itself.
Did I mention the redwoods? Yeah, they were there too.
Speaking of Santa Cruz, Alex and I also enjoyed the less wild side of things. The downtown area, right down a hill path from her brother's where we were staying, is chock full of yummy food, cool coffee spots, and neat local shops, including a big bookstore, a video game store (stocked with cool vintage games and knick-knacks; my FFVII-loving heart enjoyed the little plastic Cloud they had in a main display), and no less than TWO comic book stores. It's hard to imagine an area that's the equivalent of probably two or three square city blocks could have so much cool stuff. However, the high cost of living sadly leaves the area highly populated by unhoused folks panhandling and trying their best to get through the day on the streets, and the nearby college and beach had the area drowning in tourist-y type folks on the weekend. Not a perfect place by any stretch of the imagination.
When Alex and I weren't out sightseeing, we got a lot of quality time with her brother, who was extremely generous in opening his home to us and showed us a great time:
Ultimately, Santa Cruz was beautiful and I dearly enjoyed all the one-on-one time Alex and I got, and I'm happy to have shopped, hiked, and dined (all my favorite traveling pastimes) but I think one of the most lasting impressions on this trip is how much fun we had with Alex's bro, his awesome wife, and their two fabulous practically-grown children. They are truly a special group of compassionate and interesting people for whom I have a special, redwood-lined place in my heart.
Until next time, take care.
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